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Motherhood Mondays: How long did you have a lovey?

Did you have a lovey when you were little? Growing up, my sister had a lamb, I had a teddy bear, and my brother had...a piece of women's lingerie. Seriously, my brother's blankie was a torn piece of a blue silk slip. He just liked the silky feel. My mom would put it in the freezer so it felt cold when he fell sleep (although then it also smelled like fish).

But how long do loveys last? When my friend was expecting her first baby, she packed her stuffed polar bear in the hospital bag. "My husband thinks I'm crazy for taking 'Pola' to the hospital," she told me. "But I need him there with me!"

Recently, I read this fascinating Momfilter post about lovey expiration dates. Pilar (who, incidentally, is the editor in chief of Martha Stewart Living) revealed that her sweet four-year-old son was still obsessed with his doggie blanket (or, as she called it, "his great enduring love.") Her husband objected to his son's attachment, but Pilar, who had mixed feelings, wrote, "When I watch the blankie-thumb nirvana that washes over him, I wonder how anyone can argue with that."

A commenter added: "My eight-year-old still sleeps with his fuzzy...I still see that perfect joy when he climbs into bed and sees it like it's a surprise (really? You didn't know it would be there?)...Husbands have a way of 'manning up' our boys, sometimes as a knee-jerk response. Whenever my husband does this I always say, 'Let's go call your mother and ask what you did as a child.' That usually takes care of it."

Fascinating all around. What about you? Did you have a lovey? For how long? Do you still tuck it under your pillow? Do your children have loveys? How long do you think it's OK for them to remain attached to them? As long as they'd like, or should they be encouraged to pack it away at a certain age? I'd love to hear your thoughts...(Photos by Our Labor of Love)

Pfft, I slept with my stuffed Tom cat (From Tom & Jerry) until I was probably 15, and only quit then because I was scared to lose or ruin him. (And now I'm 21, married and in my bed are my 20m/o son and my hubby and no room for my stuffed Tom cat. But I still have him. I love him! As long as the 'lovey' doesn't hinder growth or anything, there is no need to even give it a second thought, I don't think. :)

I remember loving this little plastic triceratops (my name is Sarah so I liked it because of the name). I was ALL into land before time. One day I lost it and that was the end of that. My little one (1 years old) hasn't gotten hooked on anything yet. No blanket, stuffed animal, pacifier, nothing. So who knows if she'll have a lovey =)

my boyfriend has a gorgeous, ratty, muchly loved baby blanket. i have an old blue teddy that was actually one that my younger brother (by 15 months) got when he was born. whenever we start talking about bundles of joy one day, our teddy and blanket somehow end up on the bed cuddling with us. nothing like hearing a big, macho guy wondering outloud if his baby will like the blanket he/she gets one day. heartwarming.

Do pillows count? For years I used to carry around my favorite smooshy pillow until half the stuffing came out of it and I half-heartedly realized it was time to retire it. But that didn't mean throwing it away, oh no! It just became a nice throw pillow. I substituted it with a fuller, smooshier, down-feather pillow that I still love sleeping with, it's so squishy. Unlike my original, though, I don't insist on carting it *everywhere* I sleep over. :}

Funny you should ask...I'm almost twenty-two years old, and I've had various manifestations of a "blankie" since I was born. When I go home from school (I leave it there), it's always nice to see the shred that's left! I no longer feel the least bit weird about it, since both of my roommates sleep with stuffed animals they've had since birth as well. :)

I still sleep with Freckles, the stuffed dog my sister gave me when I was born, when my boyfriend is away! I love him with my whole heart... more than I've loved any pet, and more than I've loved many people. Does that make me crazy?!

I had a yellow silky edged blanket until I was about 8, but even now, I still snuggle up with quilts and blankets when I need comforting. It's something about the softness and heaviness which makes me feel safe.

As a 23 year old, I still sleep with my "sash." I was given a pillow case with silk on it as a baby and loved the feeling of it, just like your brother. The original sash was lost, then the replacement (my mothers night gown ) was left in a Pennsylvania hotel. The replacement was a pair of pajama pants that are a silky feeling. It is still in bed with me when I fall asleep.

I'm still very fond of my various fuzzies from childhood. One of my favorites was Mutsy, a shaggy stuffed dog. Freshman year, I stumbled across my best friend's very own Mutsy in her dorm room. We had the same fuzzy! I was touched by the fact that we had the same love for Mutsy and that she had brought him to college with her. To this day, it remains one of my favorite memories of our friendship!

i have a funny story about my lovey..it was my baby blanket. It still exists (well, a piece of it) packed away in a closet somewhere.

When I was 3, and heading to pre-school, I insisted on taking my blankie with me. The way my mom tells it, the pre-school leaders had a policy about security blankets - they definitely discouraged them. They suggested my mom give me a small piece of the blankie to take with me, rather than the whole thing.

My mom, sweetheart that she is, cut up (gah!) my blankie and sewed a small rectangle on to a ribbon, that I could wear around my wrist or waist.

I got in the car to go to school that morning, and as we got to the school, she handed me my "new" blankie and explained that this is what I needed to take with me as I was a big girl and this was school.

I threw a fit. I refused to go in to the pre-school that day. I never went back to that pre-school (not sure of the circumstances around that, surely my parents did not just bend to my will).

So, the moral of the story is..don't take away the lovey, or you could have a pre-school dropout on your hands. I did go on to Kindergarten all the way through college, and even skipped a grade, so I suppose there was no lasting harm done.

I agree with Lauren...as long as it doesn't start hindering growth, it's fine! Now, if your 30 year old adult child prefers to sleep with a lovey and never anyone else...that may be cause for concern :)

I'm 26 and still sleep with my blanky (and my cousin, at 25, sleeps with her's as well). Though I now just have the silky corner of it. My mother made the rest of the blanket into a stuffed bear when I was younger.

I did'nt have one (we call it a doudou) but my brother did. He was like Linus in Peanuts, taking it everywhere with him...

Unfortunatly he got his doudou at the age of 3 or 4 : he fell in love with a flowered blue bed spread at my grandma's and was sleeping with it, wrapping himself up in it to watch tv, bringing it to bed... except when he was out of the house of course (the thing was huge)

My mom used to joke that we would make his wedding suit out of it

He died 6 years ago in an accident and we decided to cut up the blanket in 4 : one for him, one for my mom, one for my dad and one for me...

Loveys, doudous or whatever you call them are a good thing... it is good as a kid and then it brings back memories

I had a Care Bear blanket that went everywhere with me. During my junior year of high school, I took it with me on a trip abroad. I accidentally left it behind in a hotel in Munich, Germany, and it was never recovered. I was devastated then... and I am still quite sad about it, ha. xo.

My little sister is almost 15 and she takes her baby quilt with her everywhere: sleepovers, vacations, etc. The quilt doesn't resemble a quilt anymore (very tattered and now about 1/4 of its original size), but she would probably die if something ever happened to it.

My sister & I both had teddy bears growing up, I still have mine but the last time I snuggled him in bed was when I was sick with the flu in college. My little brother had a yellow blankie that was just falling apart like crazy. One easter, the blanket was gone & there was a wagon to 'replace' it. I can't remember how he took it (i think he was around 3yrs) but I sure remember thinking that was an awful trade & I was glad my teddy was still in good shape! There would have been hell to pay if Teddy disappeared! (His name was Paul. Cause he is white...so he must be a polar bear, right?)

Second of all, I definitely still have a place in my heart for mine. I have Nini Bunny and Nini Blankie (Nini because I would cuddle with them at night). The bunny is white with a little blue striped suit and a bowtie. He's been stitched up several times and his pink nose is worn down. The blanket was made for me by my grandmother and she sewed holes at the corners for me to stick my fingers in and drag the blanket around. They stayed on my bed through high school (I would hide them under the pillows when it was made) and I made the decision to leave them behind when I came to college. Right now they are on the top shelf of my closet, but I pull them down when I come home.

When I was little I thought Nini Bunny would come to life (following Toy Story) because one night he fell off my bed and landed sitting upright with his little paws in his lap. I was convinced he was patiently waiting for me.

Yesss. I have a "sada" (SAY-duhh). She has been with me since I was 4 and she is pitiful looking. My husband actually found a new one for me as an engagement present and he said it's not to replace mine; it's for our children to have their own.

CRY!

Here's the full scoop and how I did the same with his heirloom harmonica for him: http://hilljocreates.blogspot.com/2011/07/old-sada-and-new-sada.html?

I still had my stuffed dog in my bed till I moved in with my boyfriend (then I was to worried my dog would get hurt by being used as a pillow). It's a Steiff stuffed animal so despite all the years it still looks pretty good. And should my boyfriend ever leave me it'll be back to console me (and I am in my late twenties now).

I'm almost 25 and Minnie Mouse still sits on my bed! She's naked, missing a tail, the pupil's of her eyes have worn off, and so has the stitching of her smile but she's just the perfect size to rest my arm on when sleeping on my side. My blanket was packed away years ago as it started to deteriorate. I swear it was the only blanket that "kept me warm in the winter and just warm enough in the summer."

But for now, Minnie will continue to keep me company in bed until my future husband does!

I'm 24, and I still sleep with my "guggie". It's generally just under my pillow but its always there. I'm not really sure what my boyfriend thinks...I know it is way beyond the point of having to give it up, but it makes me relax. It's so weird, and when I think about it I know its childish, but I guess I don't really care anymore. It is a knit blanket, that's literally in knots and torn apart that I've had since I was a baby. Yikes haha, its funny admitting it.

I had mine until I was about 27- only when I met the man I was going to marry did it get put in my lingerie drawer (where it still remains) I was so attached when i was little I would stand next to it sucking my thumb as it dried on the line in the sun after washing. The same aunt that made mine made my sons and I see my son having the same attachment and I encourage it- it was an amazing sleep aid and companion.

My 2.5 yr old daughter is obsessed with her blue monkey, Bananas. She's still young enough where it is 'acceptable' to have a lovey, but I don't think I would ever stop her from having it. I would hope that as she matures, her dependence on it would diminish. But Bananas has become a part of the family, so even if she grows out of it, he'll still be special to us.To be honest, I would follow the lead from Toy Story, where Andy slowly stopped playing with Woody, but still held onto him through the end.

I've slept with my blanky (named Nighty) ever since I was a baby (I'm 30 now).Technically I'm on Nighty the third. It's the same sort of story as your brothers. Nighty was originally my mom's silky night dress. As a baby I would cry at night, but not need anything, I just wanted mom to pick me up and hold me. So she got wise to this and just gave me her night dress. I would touch it and smell it, and it smelled like her, and comforted me to sleep.The original got lost, but I have had replacements. All silky night dresses. And I seriously can't sleep without smelling it all night long.I gotta say, it's really really hard to explain this to each new boyfriend I've had over the years. But there's no way I'm ever going to get rid of Nighty.

1 of my 3 kids has a lovie. I don't see her getting over her blankie anytime soon. I joked to my husband that I'm going to have fashion it into a vest when she starts school!I say let them keep them as long as they like. Why take something comforting away from a child?

I have a three-year-old and a one-year-old and they are both fond of the same brand of stuffed lamb. They each have one and I keep two backups that I rotate through while one lamb is in the wash. They like to have the lambs at bedtime and we pack them when we are travelling, but usually during the day the lambs just stay in their beds. I have never even considered trying to wean the three-year-old from his lamb. Whatever for? I guess it might be a problem for some children if they insist on having the loveys with them every moment of the day. But, if they just want something cozy to snuggle with at night I see no problem with them continuing for as long as they like.

Just wanted to say that I had never heard the term "lovey" before, so didn't know what you were talking about at first! Do living dogs and cats count? I think I always preferred them growing up to any stuffed animal or toy. I found them much more interesting!

I am nearly 24 years old and I still sleep with my "lovey" - He is a plush sea otter named C.C. I live on my own, support myself and share a bed with my boyfriend, but C.C. has to be there every night or else I feel like something is off. Call me crazy or weird, I don't care - I am happy to still have my little otter with me even after all this time.

I'm 23 now, but the pink blanket given to me as a newborn is still my Huggy. It's tattered, faded, and (a million washings later) stained from baby food..and mascara. Huggy has dried nearly all of my life's tears and I keep it safely tucked inside my pillow case.

Hi there! I'm Sophie, 16 years old and I still sleep with my hedgehog stuffed animal. His name is fat hedgehog and he's in my bed every night, doesn't matter where I am. I bought him at a gass station in Scotland when I was 6. I never had a lovey like him, he's amazing! You can cuddle him when it's cold or you can put him under your head when you don't want to sleep on your pillow, he's multifunctional! I think my fat hedgehog and I will always be together :)

I actually didn't have anything and I always feel cheated for not having one haha. Most of my friends still have their blankies or stuffed animals and sleep with them occasionally. I really wish I had one because it seems so soothing. Does Tobey have one?

My name is Rachael. I'm 24 years old and still sleep with my stuffed tiger.

I think that "still" might be misleading. I had a polar bear, Bunky, when I was a baby. He stuck around for a long time, and I'm not exactly sure when he disappeared. Later, when I was 15 or 16, a boyfriend got me a stuffed manatee. It was the perfect shape to fit under my arm. I couldn't believe how much more comfortable it was! It was like having a pillow for my arm. I loved it. Of course, when we broke up, the manatee went.

When I was about 20, another boyfriend got me the stuffed tiger. At that point, I thought I was beyond being super attached to stuffed animals--but this was the exact same stuffed tiger my stepsister has! I soon discovered that it filled the space left by the manatee. When that relationship ended, Sammy (the tiger) stayed with me--he reminds me more of my stepsister than the guy who gave him to me.

And my boyfriend now, who's a 28 year old doctor, sleeps with a stuffed fox that we got as a playmate for Sammy. Maybe we're just secretly 3 years old inside.

I had a blankie (which was really a kid-sized super soft towel) for years. My mom would wash it every Saturday and I hated that because it would lose my scent. I also chewed on the corners and used the rest to cover my eyes. I stopped using one when I was in high school, then my mom bought a beautiful and soft bed set and she gave me the blanket. This was in 1997 or 1998. I still have it, and it had moved with me to 3 different countries since 2003. I love it. Now it's all in rags, but I still use what's left and cover my eyes. It has the perfect weight, not too heavy, not too light, just the right amount of pressure to cover my eyes gently and help me fall asleep in an instant. I love my chopo, as I call my blankie.

I have a lovey well I have a few I have them all still. A bobo( Spanish slang for pacifier) and a doll and my blanket. they are in great condition. 25 yrs later. I still sleep with my doll her name is jenny , she lights up when you press her. I had all this stuff for years but stop using the bobo and blanket when i was 5 I noe I noe funny. My late aunt allowed me to and so much more. gotta love aunties.Use to push my in nyc at the age of 4 in the stroller with my lovies in hand lol.

I still have mine! I stopped sleeping with my blankie (my blanket I had since I was 2...it replaced the previous one I had already loved too hard) when I was in middle school. However, it stayed in my room through college and is now in a box in my current apartment. Comfort in a box!

Great post, Joanna! I slept with my fuzzy blanket from newborn until I was 28 years old. Yikes! It traveled with me to camp, slumber parties, college, my study abroad year, and several other trips around the world, so yeah, I'm pretty weird I guess. Now it lives in a drawer at home because I can't part with it, but don't feel right about hiding it under my pillow with my husband sleeping right next to me :)

I just bought my baby daughter her first lovey blanket which she now takes to bed with her at naptime and at night. It's amazing how it triggers her thumb-sucking reflex and ability to sleep. I don't feel I'll ever have any right to take it away, considering how long I held onto my own!

i still have my teddy bear that i slept with every night until i was married. now that i share a bed with my husband and have a new guy to snuggle with 'teddy' has been delegated to sit on our bed among the pillows and i will never get rid of him. i do wonder what object our son will attach to.

Love this topic! I have a teddy bear, "Teddy" that I have had for 30 year, I still sleep with! The husband hates it, and I took alot of slack in college for it, but oh well! I have to admit I can see why your friend wanted to take hers!

I'm sort of ashamed to say that I still sleep with my lovey, even though I'll be 35 in 1 week (what!?) and I have a 5 month old son. I got a stuffed potbellied st Bernard when I was 4 and have not spent many nights without him since then. I've tried! He's held up remarkably well, even with frequent baths. I hope that my son, Hudson, wants a lovey someday too!

I still have a homemade pint-sized pastel afghan that my great aunt made for me when I was born. I'm 26 and I still sleep with it every night. And take it on business trips with me. I am not ashamed at all!

I'm 25 and I still sleep with a full-size brown blanket I've had since childhood. It has a strip of silk on the top that hangs off now. I don't think of it as a security blanket. It's the perfect size and thickness. I maintain it's just a blanket I've "happened to have had since I was a baby." I intend to keep it around forever. I really don't care what my future husband thinks.

I had a beloved bunny (oh so creatively named Bunny) that I took with me EVERYWHERE. I loved it so much that it actually started to fall apart. My mom kept having to sew holes closed. Eventually there wasn't enough fabric to sew back together so she crocheted a sweater and scarf for Bunny. I was probably eight or nine when my parents forced me to retire Bunny and adopt a stuffed bear named Buttercup instead. I slept with Buttercup until some time in high school. I still have both of them.

I had a plush, silky baby blanket that was white with a little lamb embroidered in white. I slept with it through high school--it was a good weight for Mississippi nights, and was the right size! (and stayed cool, like your brother's silky).

In high school, I washed it and put it in the dryer, and somehow it got caught and basically got fried from the heat. I sobbed!

My mom still uses it to wrap the kitties when they're going on a car ride or line their beds. It still makes me smile to see it, and I'm glad it's getting a second life. But I still wish it hadn't been ruined. Then again, it was probably better I didn't take it to college.

I had a stuffed dog that I got when I was 4 or 5, so he was a bit of a late addition. I kept him on my bed for aesthetic purposes for years, always hugging him when I was asleep. He's just the perfect size - much more comfortable than hugging a pillow. I recently got back from a year of travel and when I unpacked at my new apartment, I saw him amidst a bunch of blankets. I've been sleeping with him for two weeks and I just turned 25, haha. Something about him smells like home I guess.

I never had a lovey. I had stuffed animals and blankets that I liked but never singled one out as a security object. My brother, on the other hand, had a blue baby "blankie" that he loved, literally, to bits. Poor blankie finally bit the dust when my brother was in high school.

I am 25 and I continue to sleep with my baby pillow every single night. Through college and everything, I've never missed a night! My fiance has joked if the apartment were on fire and I could only save him or "Pilly", I would have a real struggle with the decision!

I know it seems silly, but people turn to many different things to make them feel calm, relaxed and at peace. And if it's as simple as snuggling up with my little pillow.. I'll take it! I have no intention of giving up a safe habit that makes me happy.

My oldest is 5 and is still attached to his blanket, that was actually MY blanket when I was little. I think it's sweet that the blanket that I loved and carried around as a child is the same blanket he loves and carries around. I blogged about it here: http://teamcowanzk.blogspot.com/2010/02/d.html

My sixteen-month old son has a Cuskiboo, and it is the very sweetest thing. We keep it in his crib and he squeals in delight every time he goes down for a nap or bed. He ocasionally manages a 'jail-break' and is thrilled with his clever little self. We will retire the soother soon, but will let him decide how long he want to cuddle his little Cuski.

I slept with my baby blanket until I was at least 10. My parents were divorced and I traveled a lot and remember how much space it took in a suitcase, but insisted that it come along. I still have it on the foot of our bed, more as decoration.

My 25-year-old boyfriend wakes up cuddling with George, an endearingly tattered Curious George (who has lost his hat long ago), and not with me, even though we live together. When he unexpectedly had to go back to MI for a family funeral, George and I were left behind and my boyfriend's familiar smell is embedded in George, so I managed to sleep ok in the apartment alone.

I also have a friend getting married next month, whose fiance said once they were married, Mookie was no longer allowed to sleep in their bed. Mookie is an unidentifiable pink stuffed something.

I've had my BunBun since I was 1. I love her and would be devastated if anything ever happened, nevermind that she's on her last leg. Err, ear. My husband indulges me but I'm sure he would be happier without my rabbit obsession. He jokes that we'll give Bun to our kid one day.

'Let's go call your mother and ask what you did as a child.'HAHA! That made me laugh out loud!

I'm 19 and I still have my stuffed doll, I call her Angel. Though she's torn all over the place, and I'm so afraid of damaging her any more, so I only sleep with her on especially sad or lonely nights.

Eeps! I still sleep with my bear. I've had to re-stuff him a few times, and his arm is nearly always falling off. The fuzz is long since rubbed from his nose. C'est la vie when you still have your bear at age 30! I love the guy. My husband isn't so sure about him, but only hides Bear from me occasionally.

I've never heard the word "lovey" before. Is that a real word? As a child, I never had an attachment to any material thing. Is that weird? I remember having favorite dolls but I never carried them about with me or felt safer with them around. I guess my "lovey" today would be my husband--whenever he's around, I don't feel like anything could be that bad. :)

I still have my doggie and pink blankie, though I stopped sleeping with them every night a few years ago (I'm 25!). It never really was a problem, even in college – lots of friends had old stuffed animals along with them, too. My husband only teased me a little bit, though he has been known to steal them in the night.

I think my parents were happy that I had something comforting to bring along when we went away (they came everywhere when I was little!) They only ever teased me a little bit.

My favourite little friend when I was a kid was a whit stuffed bear named Johnny Bear. I loved him to death.

I had to have him to sleep until I was about 12 (there was one incident when I was 9 where we had forgotten to bring him with us while we went away for a few days, and I was inconsolable. My mother didn't understand, and wasn't helpful at all, but I felt like I was missing a piece of myself - I still remember how gut-wrenchingly sad I felt.)

After 12, he probably stayed on my bed or in my room until I was about 16 or 17, but then got packed away when I went to college. I haven't seen him in years, and now that I'm thinking about it, I actually kind-of miss him, and am worried as to whether he's okay packed up in all those boxes! Childhood love is an interesting thing :)

I've never had one. :)I have photos of me with various things I was attached to at times, and I still have some things I feel attached to, since I was a baby, but never something like a blankie to keep with me at all times through the years!And generally, blankies are not the rule where I live!

I had a 'special pillow' that my parents brought with them to the hospital when I was born. It was handmade by my grandma and trimmed in lace. I slept with it every night for YEARS and when I was maybe 16 or 17 it was finally just torn to shreds. So my mom made a new pillow and attached some of the original lace to one side of the new one. The new pillow was so puffy, though, that I kind of gave up on it. I still have it but it's shoved in a closet with all of my old stuffed animals and whatnot :)

I've still got an elephant and well it's my cushion every night (it's quite big.) I tried to leave him away but well no cushion can't reach the feel of my elephant. But strangely the elephant did not became important before I was 10 or 11, although I have him since I'm a half year old. When I was a child dolls were much more important to me. I could only sleep while I was grabbing my hand in someone's hair and because of that I've got a dolls with real hair pretty soon.

I'm a Child Development major in uni and we learned that children should be able to keep a lovey for as long as they feel they need it. As long as it's not an unhealthy attachment to the item, it's completely fine for a five or 10 or whatever year old to still sleep with a favorite thing!

I got a teddy bear when I was born and I still have Teddy (original name I know! haha) to this day. She doesn't sleep on my bed anymore but she's sitting on my bookshelf. I took Teddy on pretty much all of my big vacations up until my 20's (I'm 32 now). She was with me in Vegas for my 21st! :) I still have my blanky too but that's been packed away for years.

My parents gave my sister and I both Wrinkles dogs when we were little... and we both still have them! I'm 28, and when I make my bed in the morning, I always set Wrinkles on my bed. I live far away from my family, so it's sweet and sentimental for me. :)

okay now that i got that off of my chest. my lovey was my bunny. that's what his name was bunny. a giant buny TY beanie baby that was given to me at birth. I stopped sleeping with bunny back in 7th/8th grade and my parents were those kinds of parents who were very sad to see me stop sleeping with him.. but a girl has got to grow up eventually. I still have bunny. saving him to show my future son/daughter so i can tell them that it's okay whenever they want to stop using their lovey. whether it's 4 years old, 12 years old, or adulthood.

when I was in middle school my mom had to have my bunny stuffed animal re-stuffed and a new velvet outfit made for it because it was hanging by a string.....I'm 23 and it's still on my bed. I do find myself tucking it away when I first start dating someone hahaha I feel so ridiculous saying that, but it really is a comfort thing (and the best pillow). I have always had a blanky (not the same one since childhood though)...my most recent is the softest "Nap" brand blanket from Brookstone. I've had it about 5 years....that sucker goes EVERYWHERE..even business trips ;)

also thought I should add I have some friends who are roommates (3 of them) and their favorite blankies are always folded and in a pile on a shelf in the living room and they are possessive about who uses them ...ages 23-26 :D

Hi my name is Sarah, I am 28 & still have my baby blanket. Love this topic, feels like a confessional or an AA meeting :). My blanket has earned its spot in my bed. Much to my parents dismay the blanket survived high school, undergraduate years, study abroad, graduate school, and to this day is tucked under my pillow.

This blanket is actually number 2. Blankie #1 was cut up, by mom, into 20 squares and casually tossed away 1 piece at time over a year span when I was 3 years old. Her efforts to wean me from this dependency fueled the desire to have what was forbidden. I eventually hijacked my brothers baby blanket and haven't looked back.

The blanket regularly is the focus of family jokes. It has withstood the test of time, and somehow has not repelled the man who loves me. I don't see it leaving any time soon.

Love this post. I had a blanket that I loved when I was a kid - probably until I was about 3 or 4 years old. Then I graduated to a stuffed animal, and to this day, I can't fall asleep without my teddy bear. I like to think it's more of a comfortable position thing (I like to hold something when I'm sleeping, even if it's just a pillow), but I also have to admit that when I'm sick or sad, it does actually make me feel better to hold my bear. Haha! So... in that case, my lovey has made it 30 years now. :) (My husband gives me a hard time about it sometimes, but then I'll catch him sleeping with it when I'm not in bed yet! Ha!)

I'm 20 and I just stopped sleeping with a stuffed animal. I don't think its necessarily detrimental. I slept with it because I was used to holding something while I slept and I couldn't fall asleep with it because it felt weird.

My friend's husband has an old ratty quilt made out of a vintage Charlie Brown sheet his aunts made for his dad in the 70s. He's slept with it since he was a kid and still likes to sleep with it on their bed at night (he swears it's the perfect temperature). It was literally falling to pieces so my friend found a new Charlie Brown sheet on eBay and made him a new quilt with it for Christmas last year. He was so touched and cried like a baby when she gave it to him. I think some people never give it up.

When I was three, my mother tried to give me a new lovey to replace my slightly ratty bear (who I had from birth). She wrapped up a bear identical to my lovey and gave it to me for Christmas. I unwrapped the bear, said, 'oh, it is my bear's brother," chucked it aside, and no one has tried to take my lovey since.

When I was little I used to have a teddy bear, then somewhere around grade 5 I got a stuffed pig. I am now 28 years old, I'm married, working, and have a 7 month old of my own, yet I still sleep with my piggy lovey every night. I can't fall asleep unless he's there, and it might sound odd but I also take him on vacations with me. I gave my son a lovey months ago, and have bought him about 100 stuffed animals {no joke}. So we shall see if he sticks to any of them, but I would never discourage it, regardless of how old he is, because I don't think loveys have an expiration date.

a timely piece for me. i just unearthed my "blankie" the other night and decided to sleep with it cozied under my chin the way i did for *much* of my childhood (into the teenaged zone). it was as soft as ever, though by my morning it had been tossed ingloriously to the floor.

I still have my two baby blankets (at 25). One was light pink (now kind of grey) and is practically transparent from many years of love. The other is mint green and has survived a silly putty accident that resulted in a giant square being cut out of his center. He was subsequently worn over my head like a poncho for years to come.

My sister (who just turned 24) is also still in love with her blankey. He once got left in Jerusalem (yes, Israel) and after many tears, a few calls from our amazing tour guide, a cab ride, a hand off to another tour group, and a bus ride, we were finally reunited with her blanket at the Dead Sea. All for the love of a lovey.

This may sound weird, but I didn't have a lovey until I was 16 years old. My boyfriend at the time [now my husband] and I had to be separated for a year. When I left, he gave me his lovey, an old teddy bear. I know it's not the same as a baby's lovey, but it still gave me comfort during that year.

I had a blanket that I called "Pink". It was one of those waffle knit recieving blankets in the color pink (hence the clever name haha). I had 3 of them but lost 2. I sleet with Pink until I was probably 13 or so when the blanket was just to worn to use anymore (it was no longer pick but rather a faded gray, had so many holes that it ripped into 2 pieces and if you could find a place without a hole it was so thin you could see through it). Since Pink was no longer in service she was retired to my memorabilia box (where she lives today) and I switched to 2 homemade baby blankets that I still sleept with today (as a 24 yr old married mom). I don't need the blankets to sleep anymore and don't take them when traveling but I do sleep better with there cool softness agains my cheek :) (my husband doen't think it is tooo weird :) )

When my oldest brother was born my grandmother bought him a blue blanket with cars printed on it from California. It was passed down to my other brother and then later on, me. I still have it (at 21) even though it's torn and raggedy. My boyfriend gets completely grossed out by it and always throws it off the bed so I hide it under my pillow when he's over!

This is embarassing, but I had a lovey until I was 14 years old. I have never heard them called that before though- usually it's "security blanket" or "security toy." Mine was literally the white burping cloth my mom used with me...there were many identical cloths, so she could easily take away the current one for the wash and replace it with another before I noticed. I also agree with the line "thumb and blankie nirvana"....so very very true. I didn't suck my thumb for very long, but that blankie and the comfort it brought was necessary. It was only by accident that I ended the affair- I forgot it at a hotel, and there was no way my parents were going to turn around and drive three hours to get it back. Le sigh.

I'm 26, married and still have my blankie. Funny enough I'm its second owner. It was originally my older sisters. When I was born she insisted she get the new baby blanket, so I was given her old one. I still break it out whenever I'm sick. I could swear it has healing powers :)

I still have my lovie, a pink blanket "ba-boo". I was going to give it up at every major life adult life event: getting engaged, getting married, having a baby but still can't do it. It stays in my pillow case and I sleep good knowing its there. My husband always smiles about it, but he has been fine with it. I don't walk around with it :)

My son, who turns 4 tomorrow, has a lovey, it is a small stuffed bunny named "bebe". He won't really sleep without it and carries it around the house.

Honestly, I think loveys or security objects are fine. Most people do not hang onto them as long as I have (36!) but especially for children - if its something they adore and it helps them sleep then why not. I don't typically let my son take it everywhere - it stays in his bed, goes to school for naptime and to grandparents for nights away.

Can't believe I'm admitting this but...I slept with my blanket literally until the night before my wedding. I was 22 years old! My son, age 17 months, alternates his affection between a stuffed monkey and a fuzzy blue bunny. I feel like there's probably an age when it's inappropriate to bring the lovey out in public anymore, but I say let them have it as long as they want for nighttime snuggling :)

I had a few lovies--two small Cabbage Patch-themed pillows, the pattern of the same pillow, a goose stuffed animal and a stuffed Sister Bear (from the Berenstain Bears). I stopped taking them out of the house when I got to late elementary school, but slept with them until I went off to college. Even now, I could never throw them away! I think as long as your lovey doesn't hinder your life, there's no use in having an expiration date.

I sort of wish my daughter had a lovey... she has a soother instead and it passionately resisting all my efforts and methods to remove it. I see her just relax and the stress flow off her when she puts it in (just for naps now, but still... she's nearing 4). Not sure what to try next (I've tried a lot!).

I had a bear, Mr. Bear, to be precise. I still have him and my daughter sleeps with him, though the attachment isn't as great due to the 'sushi', as she calls the soother. He was in my bed until I got married and then I found it a little weird. But to each their ow, for sure!

i don't remember having a blankie, but my littlest brother had a sheepskin in his crib, which he kept close until it disintegrated. seriously, after about 6 years all that was left was a piece the size of his hand, which he would clutch while sucking his thumb. it was adorable, and i know it gave him comfort and confidence, so i think as long as it doesn't venture into unhealthy attachment, let them pour their love into something soft.

My Lovey was Mimibear. She was this fairly large (probably about 18 inches?), gangly grey bear that wore a ragdoll-style dress. I slept with her every night until I left for college (not because I was embarrassed by her or anything-I just didn't want her to end up ruined). I'd still sleep with her when I came home on visits from school, and then when I got married and packed up my things, I carefully tucked mimibear into a large box that I have that has about a dozen stuffed animals that are precious to me that I'm saving to hopefully pass down to children someday.

When I was young, my uncle worked in Zimbabwe. He brought back a hand-carved wooded statue (about a foot tall) of a standing monkey with a snake around his neck. His name was Ape Man, but I called him "Epeez" and he went with me everywhere! We went to the park, camping and he slept in my bed with me. Epeez remained special, but he stopped going everywhere with me once my sister was born when I was three and a half.

I still have my childhood blanket (at least the hole-y remnants of it!) and my childhood bear. Both are in a closet, but still get taken out when I am extremely upset. I'm 27 and glad that I'm not that abnormal after all for keeping them all this time. ; )

I love that your brother had a little bit of a slip as his Lovey. I carried around a gray (silver really I guess)satin queen sized top sheet. Slowly it became totally shredded, but I think my mom still has a little bit of it stashed away. I switched over to the pillowcase from the bedding set as I got older (middle schoolish). Then in college I was given a pink satin pillowcase with a cat on it by my cousin who thought that was more grown up!

Oooh! I think I win the award for the oldest person still sleeping with my "lovey"...I'm 42! The original lovies sit carefully ensconsed in my bookcase, and include: Bunny, the King of all Bunnies, and little JB, Junior Bunny, along with Butterscotch the bear, and Nibbler the beany baby bunny! My current lovey, a grey and white Koala bear squishes in under my arm when I sleep and my boyfriend isn't staying over. Hooray for lovies!

I had (have :) ) a Big Bird puppet that I will never ever ever get rid of, but now he is on a shelf in my daughters room. Up until I had my daughter I still took him on trips with me but other than that he just lied on my bed waiting for snuggles. Then I'd jump in bed and throw him on the floor, poor Big Bird! My 7 month old daughter Olivia has a blankey with a monkey head on it and as soon as I put her in her crib she rolls over and grabs the monkey all instense then goes to sleep. The other day I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her so I grabbed the monkey and rocked her for a minute and she was out dead cold.I don't think there is a need to ever take it away...Some people go crazy without their cell phones, kids go crazy without their monkeys :)

Hi, my name is Rachel, I'm 26 and I still keep my Blankie, Baby, and BJ (for Baby Jr... I know, I know... i named him when i was 9 and had, like, no clue the name might also mean something sexual) on my bed. Ok, ok... I still SLEEP with Blankie, and that's only because I'm afraid I'd destroy Baby and BJ if I rolled over on them. And yes, I used to put them in the freezer to make them cold And yes, I make my husband smell the perfectly amazing and cozy-yummy smell of Blankie when he's feeling down. My parents said I'd walk down the aisle with Baby and Blankie. I didn't. But I thought about it :-)

Some day I'll put them aside for good, but I'm not attached to most material things except these guys. They are a part of my life and I don't really care if I'm "too old" for them. I don't NEED them but I love them. So, who cares!?

Yes! I still have "The Gang", as my Dad calls them. I have a panda, a little panda, a brown bear, and a dragon, named Smedley, Ying-Ling, Bosco, and Dino. My dad apparently named them all.

But the main one is Smedley, and when I was a baby, I had bad stomach aches and would always cry, so my sister would leave him (he was her's) in my crib every night so I would have comfort. 22 years later...they all still sleep in my bed!

My boyfriend calls them "The Zoo" but is so sweet to them. He understands the comfort!!!

I had a bear named Ben (I think his name came to be that because I couldn't pronounce "bear" correctly for the longest time and said "bearn" instead). I loved him so much that all of his fur rubbed off by the time I was 4. My parents told me they were taking Ben to the bear hospital and tried giving me a brand new one as his replacement. But I knew better and refused the new Ben. Years later, probably when I was 10 or 11, I found Ben in my dad's top dresser drawer and was heartbroken that my dad hid Ben from me all those years. I didn't confront my dad then because I was afraid I'd get into trouble for snooping through his drawers but admitted it when I was in college and my dad finally gave me Ben back. I've since lost him (my dad passed away and I have no idea where Ben went when we cleaned out the house). I so wish I still had him!

So funny, I packed "Teddy" my bear I recieved when I was born, on my first trip to the hospital to have my son 8 years ago. Though he's stored in a box in my closet, I'll always keep him. My son, eight still has a cow from build a bear he sleeps with every night, but we added a Tampa Bay Bucaneer jersey to him, so at least he's a sporty lovey :)

My 18 mo boy has a blankie, ok not one, several blankies...The first one was a gift from my mother in law, and ever since, I've had to get so many more because he won't go to bed without one and he keeps loosing them (just recently lost one at an airport). Sometimes he likes to take them on car rides too (usually just one, or two). I think it gives him some kind of security to hold on to ;)

Woah. I thought i would be the oldest at 25!... Good to see so many people still use their blankets, i have a tartan square i have had for as long as i can remember. Its got smaller through the years and i hid it from my room mates at uni for two years then thought forget it! Im telling them! They didnt care. One girl had a stuffed dog frm whem she was little! My dad has tried burning it, hiding it etc but i always get it back!!my boyfriend doesnt seem to mind. I MIGHT give it up when im married!

I still sleep with my blankie as does my boyfriend, and I'm positive we will still sleep with them once we are married! I remember my mom would always threaten to throw my blankie away, but I know I would have been so heartbroken, and honestly I don't know if I would have trusted her after that if she had. I say let your kids keep their baby blankets or whatever, and eventually they will grow out of them, or they will find friends who don't judge them for it. (And aren't those the best kinds of friends anyways??) (:

Bunny has been with me since my first birthday, and in all of my childhood photos it's like Where's Waldo - Bunny is always in them! I still have him, at 26, in the apt I share with the man (who, by the way, I knew was a keeper when Bunny had a terrible incident with a too-hot dryer abroad and his fur got a little singed, and he bought me a bear in case Bunny was not soft enough anymore!)

I just sucked my thumb and stroked the back of my soft pudgey hands but my sister had a piece of pink silky ribbon that was called her 'bow' or 'dirty worm' haha. She stopped when she was about 10/11 and now she's 28 and just had her first baby last week. Wey!

I LOVE that your friend brought her lovey to the hospital to give birth. That is just so precious.

My lovey was a strawberry that my mom sewed from a pattern. I was obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake, but my mom went DIY. I still have Strawberry and slept with it under my bed in college, because I was too embarrased that I still slept with a lovey.

My 13 month old has a Snoopy that is almost as big as him and he sleeps on top of it. He's very attached. We would never dream of discouraging him from a good snuggle with Snoop.

This is such a great topic! My husband and I both had loveys (his "b", and my "nonny") and now that we have a son, we talk about this often... but in the opposite way! He's seven months old, so we're asking ourselves... do we help him choose a lovey? Do we just wait for him to pick a favorite? We have so many blankets and toys that we received as gifts, that we're overwhelmed (for him!) with all the choices. Not to mention, that to decrease his risk of SIDS, we don't let him sleep with any blankets or toys. So maybe we don't need to worry about this for a few years? (When his SIDS risk decreases and he's old enough to voice his opinion?) I hope someone reads this far down in the comments to let me know their thoughts! :) Thanks!

I am 26 and married and still sleep with my blankie. My husband doesnt hate it, but thinks its gross. I cant explain the attachment, but I sleep with it everynight, and even bring it on the airplane (in case they would ever misplace my luggage- I would be devestated!) I obviously dont see anything wrong with a blankie - it could be way worse! And yes, when I have children I will bring my blankie to the hospital, because nothing comforts me like my blankie!

My 39 year old best friend has a little rayon fish that she keeps with her in bed. If I'm there sipping wine late at night she'll nip upstairs to grab it. It is the same texture as the hem of a blanket belonging to her little brother who died as a baby :( She used to keep his blanket and then it was lost in a fire. Someone gave the fish her little girl but, she couldn't part with it.

When I was 8 or 9, I had a baby doll that I loved and wanted to bring with me everywhere. One day, as the family was walking out the door, my dad asked me why I was bringing a baby doll, and I answered, "Because I love her." He told me I shouldn't waste my love on inanimate things, but only love things that can love me back.

i am 29 and my blanket is folded up in my closet. i've had it since i was born (it was the blanket in my crib) and never slept without it in my bed until i met my fiance about 4 years ago. granted, i stopped taking it with me everywhere many, many years ago (like age 6 or 7), but nothing felt quite as comfy to me at home as it always did. i always preferred it cold too and i can still remember crying when i would find it freshly washed and folded on my bed because it would be hot from the dryer. ;)

Oh my god this makes me feel so much more normal for still having my "softy". I have always loved the feel of soft and silky things, and, like Allison above, have replaced my old baby blanket (named Nighty) with a pair of silky pajama pants. My husband is used to it now, but I'm sure he thought I was pretty weird at first!

i'm 24 and still have my "didis" tucked behind my pillow. they are two cotton blankets, white didi and blue didi, the kind with the satin edges. Although now they are in tatters and practically see-through, i still like to fall asleep with them against my cheek. the cold satin feels good in the summer!

i think there are far more people who sleep with loveys than will admit ;) the downside to being attached to loveys into adulthood is that it's that much harder when they start to fall apart. i know the day will soon come when there will be nothing left of my threadbare blankets, and i silently weep!

I too had a lovey....a piece of lingerie if you will. My mother's silk underwear. Yes, underwear. I would wrap it around my hand with just my thump sticking out and suck away until asleep. One time my mother shared a horrific story....thankfully just to me. We were out at a party of sorts and it was past my bedtime and I started to get fussy so my mother took me to the bathroom, shed her underwear and gave it to me as a pacifier.

My son age 12 and daughter age 10 both still sleep with their lovey. I feel like it is one of those great comforts that connect you to your inner child and I strongly believe in allowing them to have them for as long as they feel comfortable. It's like extra hugs and snuggles when you're not around :)

I wonder if its an estonian thing or what but i never had anything like that..neither did my sisters or brother. After reading all the comments about grown ups still having their loveys I asked around and could not even find any friends who still have something like that..of course everyone had favorite toys as a kid but noone has them now or finds them important.really makes me wonder why is that? As long as i remember I always preferred to cuddle to my dog or cat rather than any toy or blanket.

I'm 28 and still have my baby blanket, though it's retired and lives at my parents' house along with my other most beloved falling-apart stuffed animals! My brother (33) totally has his in his closet, too.

And I now sleep with a teddy bear my husband gave me for our first Valentine's 11 years ago... he doesn't mind sharing the bed with "Herbert", luckily. ;)

I disagree that love is "wasted" on an inanimate object — there's no set amount of love inside us, you can't run out! And also a tiny, crazy part of me thinks they might love us back. :)

I still have mine... it lives in a drawer by my bed. But the fact that I still have it is a testament that I never really cared about it. It's practically in perfect condition. My mom gave it to me on my wedding day... I think it meant more to her than me! My brother, on the the other hand, loved his to pieces and carried around it's raggedy bits for years. He's jealous I still have mine. Haha. Oh well. I guess I get to recycle it for my kids!

i guess there's something about cold satin cloth, typically on the edge of blankies, that's so so comforting. i've had my blankie since i was born, and i still snuggle with it at night at age 28. now that i'm pregnant, blankie can provide a tiny bit of tummy support where a pillow would be too thick! when i'm sleeping elsewhere, i find that i unconsciously bunch up the comforter so i have something to hold in my arms against my chest.

my blankie's satin edges are ratty and torn, there are lots of threadbare areas, and i honestly fear the day where i will have to retire it in order to preserve it.

since age 5 my mom would ask me if i was embarrassed to still be soothed by my blankie, but i never took it to sleepovers or family vacations. i did take blankie to college with me, (and found i wasn't the only one, male or female, who couldn't part with the trappings of childhood!) but i chose not to bring it with me on my semester abroad. i know it's ridiculous to have such a pavlovian comfort response to a physical object, but i turned out pretty normal and functional, so i see no harm in keeping a "lovey" around.

I got a snowman (from the book The Snowman) when I was 5. I literally slept with it until college when my mom bought me a new one (no joke) because the other just couldn't withstand the constant travel. I cried at first. The older one remains at home so I still see it but the new one is in my apartment. My boyfriend has a blanket that his mom made for him that he still sleeps with. We're both normal people. It's just a comfort.

I had a security blanket as a wee one; when I was three, I received a teddy bear for Christmas that I named Casey. The blanket was put away ... oh, before I was in school. But I have to tell you, Casey still sits on my dresser. And on those really dark nights of the soul - you know the ones - if I'm just weeping fit to break, I will take her down and curl up with her next to my neck. It's bittersweet to remember the comfort this could still offer me as a child, and yet something of the old childhood anthropomorphism returns; I can't look at that face without seeing sympathy and teddy bear wisdom. I say, let them keep them as long as they want. I cherish all the memories of Casey. I took her along to museums as a child; I was convinced she wanted to see the works of famous impressionists as much as I did. I remember, in particular, insisting to the security guards of the Seattle Art Museum (I was 7 or 8 at the time) who weren't sure they could let a bear with a head that round and, well, frankly bomb-like, into a foreign exhibition, that she would be lonely and scared if left in the coat check. =) they gave us a pass.

I got my first lovey when I was 2 years old; it was a stuffed hippo. Originally, it had been given as a gift to my grandmother when she was in the hospital. I immediately fell in love with the little hippo and after my grandmother passed away, the hippo came home with me. I am now 23 years old and although I no longer hug my hippo as I fall asleep, I still keep it on my bed. I don't travel with her out of fear of losing her and I don't think I'd pass her down to anyone because she is already falling apart a little bit. My twenty something brother is a total guy yet he still keeps his baby blanket under his pillow.

It's safe to say I have nothing but good thoughts and feelings towards lovies. They provide comfort and as we grow older, we attach memories and meanings to them which I guess makes them feel tangible in the form of a lovey.

I am 25 years old and my Pinky still has a home in my room. I'll admit she now lives in a box under my bed rather than on it... but there is still something comforting about her, something familiar in a new city with me.

My childhood lovey was a thin yellow blanket with satin edges (probably one of my baby blankets, now that I think about it). Like many other commenters, I loved its satin edges the best! I kept it under my bed so the satin parts of the blanket would be nice and cold when I got into bed. I slept with it every night and it got quite tattered and holey.

As I got older, I relied on it less and less and would sometimes forget to pull it from under my bed for several days. When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I got into bed one night and realized it had been a while since I'd snuggled with my blanket. But when I looked for it under my bed, it was gone.

When I told my mom my blanket was lost, she said she thought I was too old for my blanket and she had thrown it away and it was gone.

I was DEVASTATED. Crying, I begged my mom to tell me every detail about when and how she'd thrown it away, thinking maybe there was a way we could go to the dump and find it. She told me she'd thrown it away three days ago and there was no way we could get it back. I BAWLED.

As I melted down, she hastily assured me she'd put it in a plastic bag and sealed the top so it would stay clean and safe in the garbage truck. Somehow that made me feel a little better.

I've thought about that day often over the years, but it wasn't until I was in college that it finally occurred to me that maybe my mom hadn't REALLY taken the time to put my beloved blanket in a sealed bag to keep it clean in the dump. One day I asked her about it, and she was astounded that I remembered her saying that...and then admitted it was just something she'd said to make me feel better. Sigh.

I'm in my 30s now and have kids of my own, and thinking about my special blanket being thrown away without a proper goodbye still breaks my heart. I would never discourage my kids from a lovey! (And my mom apologizes to me every time the subject of lovies comes up!)

Similar to your brother's lingerie, Joanna, I had "siltzies", meaning "silkies". I didn't have a particular lovey, but until I was about 5 I would cuddle with any of my mom's awesome 80s scarves, sucking my fingers on one hand, and rubbing the scarves between my fingers on the other hand. I can still remember the intense pleasure of this... I actually remember once when I was about 4, while sitting in the car, I noticed that the lining of my raincoat was also "siltzie". I can still remember being delighted!!

Similar to your brother's lingerie, Joanna, I had "siltzies", meaning "silkies". I didn't have a particular lovey, but until I was about 5 I would cuddle with any of my mom's awesome 80s scarves, sucking my fingers on one hand, and rubbing the scarves between my fingers on the other hand. I can still remember the intense pleasure of this... I actually remember once when I was about 4, while sitting in the car, I noticed that the lining of my raincoat was also "siltzie". I can still remember being delighted!!

Any one who loves a lovey should find the book "Dirty Wow Wow," a beautiful homage to a wide variety of loveys. My sister and I (both grown ups now) sleep nightly with our loveys, Spesh (short for "Special Pillow) and Rabeet (alternate pronunciation of Rabbit).

I am an elementary teacher and I just took my class to camp last week, and 90% of the 3rd grades (8 and 9 year olds) brought a "comfort item" as we put it. I think it is totally normal for kids to be attached to stuffed animals or blankets. When they get to preschool age, I think the rule should be only in bed, but other than that let them keep it. I had my teddy bear sleep in my bed with me all through high school and it is still at my mom's house. I get super sentimental even now when I see it...and I'm 27. :)

I always think about this. I'm 21, and I still sleep with my childhood teddy, along with one of my boyfriend's childhood stuffed animals (he gave it to me as a gift!). Part of it probably has to do with the comforting aspect of "loveys" (I LOVE that term; never heard it before though), but also I have to sleep in very specific positions because of a lack of cartilage in my shoulder joints, so my bear has sort of become a way to compensate for the awkwardness of my sleeping positions! Even in adulthood, Benjamin Bear serves an important purpose.

I'm 26 and still sleep with my "blankie" I'm a mom now and will let me son keep his lovely as long as he wants. It's a little blue hippo that we named "hip hip" we can't talk yet. My husband has a pound puppy that was his lovely and it's in his sock drawer and he is nearly 30 years old.

I had my "little pillow" until sometime in high school when it "disappeared." Haha. I still wonder what happened to it! It started out as a winnie the pooh pillow but soon became basically a rag. It had the most wonderful scent! So comforting...*sigh*

Aw! When we were little, my sister and I used to carry around those seamless cloth diapers (they used to be really soft, right?) Mine was 'Wabby' and hers was 'Bubby'. I don't know when we stopped carrying those, but we still have the baby quilts my Aunt made us. Mine was 'Picture Blanket' (each square had a different picture) and my sister had her 'Cherry blanket'. Just recently, I put mine away because I don't want it to get more worn out than it is...(after 25 years? LOL)and I'm married. Funny, like one of the other commenters, my Mom and grandmother decided that I shouldn't bring it to preschool, in case I lost it or something, so they bought me another blanket (it was scratchy, and I hated it). At first I thought it was just 'extra' and kept insisting that I bring my picture blanket. I think my mom eventually gave up ;)

My husband and I each had teddy bears (his "Bear Bear" and mine "Brown Sugar"), and we each slept with them until the day we got married. Bear Bear and Brown Sugar now sit side by side on a chair in our bedroom, and they will always be loved even if they don't sleep with us anymore! :-)

I have my little pillow from when I was a baby--I named it Pillow (creative I know). My grandmother used to wash it and sew it up over the years as it deteriorated. Now it stays in a pillowcase to protect it. I keep it inside my other pillow, it adds just the right amount of extra neck support :)

I'm fourteen and still sleep with my purple bear when at home! It's not so much as a comfort to me at this point as it is that I've just always slept with something in the crook of my arm and don't know how not to! I don't bring it on short trips or sleepovers or anything though - I think there's a line to be drawn somewhere if a child needs to grow up - My dad always told the story of being told as a seven-year-old that if he wanted to go on the fishing trip with the men, he had to leave his blanky behind.

I'm 26, married, a dog, a cat, a house, a car, a career. WELL grown up. And I still sleep with my "baby." (Never heard it called a "lovey"!)

As a kid, my mom's one rule was that I couldn't drag it all over with me. It stayed at home and was really only intended for sleeping/napping. I took it to college, to study abroad in London, and everywhere I lived after college. I can only remember spending a handful of nights without it!

I'm so attached to it that when I sleep, if ever it escapes my grasp I will actually wake up groping around in the dark for it. I don't see a thing wrong with it. I'm a mature, well-adjusted, self-sufficient person who happens to have slept with the same square of fabric every night of my life! Who cares? It comforts me.

Also meant to add: my father had a blankie when he was kid that my grandmother took away from him when he was about 5 years old. She took it and cut it up and he was so heartbroken about it that he never wanted to take mine away from me! His was cloth diaper (a clean, never used one of course!).

my sister had a "night-night" blanket she wore to shreds. eventually, our mom had to cut it up so they could be rotated when they needed laundering. poor kid was devastated when the hotel housekeeping thought it was a rag (well, it was ratty and gray and gross by then) and threw it away!

I have my bear, Fred, who still sits in the corner of my bed, usually buried under a pillow or two and dressed in overalls.

Mum loved me having Fred but never wanted me to get teased at sleepovers or camps for having a bear so she invented the story that Fred was very very shy and might not like how loud we were. He always went for a sleepover in mum's room when I wasn't home and it was a perfect way to get around having a 'lovey' but not letting it get in the way of me growing up.

I still love Fred and he is usually in my bed buried under a pile of pillows ready to come out and snuggle when I'm sick or feeling blah.

I am 25 and slept with my stuffed otter my entire life! I only left him behind when I went to college, because I was afraid something might happen to him there. Now that I'm settled in a normal place again, he stays on my dresser and sometimes joins me at night.

i had a little yellow blankie. still do actually. i don't sleep with it or anything anymore, but i always travel with it. even if it never leaves the bag or box, it is on major voyages. it used to have a satin lining, but that was removed the afternoon i got into my grandmother's red lipstick and blotted all along the edge of blankie. i thought it was a beautiful addition, though.

I had a blanket for years probably until I was 10 years old but eventually I just stopped using it. Although I confess I still have it packed away because of the sentimental value. Kids will grow out of them when they no longer need that comfort and assurance in my opinion.

My husband has a stuffed dog named "Woggie" (because he couldn't say his "D's" when he was young!). He's kept him near wherever he has lived and Woggie now lives on our dresser in our bedroom. I adore it.

i still have my blankie, and probably will never ever get the guts up to get rid of it completely. thankfully, my 'lovie' is inconspicuous as a blanket, and so i think i can get away with taking it on every vacation i have ever gone on etc...

i still have my teddy and blankie that also wrapped me up in that "thumb sucking nirvana" when i was young. every once in a while i pull them out and bury my face in them and relive memories of tea parties at my grandmothers, tummy aches and chicken pocks, and snuggles with my sister and my mom. my sister only stopped laying her childhood blanket over her at night when she got married at 26. comfort is memories. :)

I didn't have one growing up, but my husband did. When I moved into his place after we got married, I found a ratty old bear in the closet, and knew instantly from its worn-out body that it was a childhood favourite. He never told me about it, but I found it so endearing that he still held onto it.

I put it back without saying anything and fell in love with my husband just a little bit more that day :)

I wanted our daughter to find a lovey because I thought it might help her self-soothe at bedtime (at 19 months she is still not a great sleeper), but she has never latched on to anything we offered. She has a stuffed animal that she takes to daycare but if I forget it she doesn't seem to notice. Neither my husband nor I had lovies. Maybe it's genetic?

I'm 21 and my collection of loveys has only grown over the years! There's Bee, my blue blanket that my mom got as a baby shower gift, my teddy bear Pogo from age 4, and a stuffed dog named T-bone from age 10. Recently I added a build-a-bear from my boyfriend named Bearasaurus. They all hold special places in my heart and they all are always in my bed. Maybe one day I'll have the courage to let them go and frame them or save them somehow, but as long as they have their own place in my life, I see nothing wrong with keeping them forever!

My five year old sleeps with her stuffed elephant (Blue Man) every night and he goes most places with us. He's a bona fide member of our family and I would never dream of tucking him away (even I'd miss him too much!).

I love reading everyone's stories of their special blanket/toy! My sisters and I all had the silky liners of parachutes for our baby blankets (our Dad is now retired from the military). The best part is they were enormous and had all these small strings around the edges. It made them the best for fort building (rearranging dining room tables, chairs, coffee tables)as we grew up.